Teen Plays Baseball? Make Sure They Do Not Use Smokeless Tobacco

If your teenager plays baseball, they may look up to the MLB players that use smokeless tobacco, which is also called dip. Because of this, your teenager may try this type of tobacco themselves and keep trying it until they like it. If they continue to use it, it can cause many health problems, two of which is oral cancer and ruining their teeth. Below is more information about this so you can get your child to stop now.

Oral Cancer

Smokeless tobacco can cause oral cancer no matter how long someone has been using this product. This is because smokeless tobacco has at least 30 chemicals that can cause cancer. When your teen places the tobacco in their mouth, it rests against their teeth and gums, which means these cancer-causing chemicals have a lot of time to wreak havoc in your teen's mouth. If your teen uses smokeless tobacco throughout the day, this is even worse for them.

Some early warning signs of oral cancer include having problems swallowing, swelling in the neck area, bad breath, weight loss and more. If your child is showing any of these symptoms take them to the doctor now. If the cancer is found early, your child has a higher chance of recovering.

Teeth Problems

Because smokeless tobacco rests on the gums, this can cause gum disease, also known as periodontal disease. This is because the chemicals found in smokeless tobacco can get down into their gums. This will cause infection to set in and ruin the roots of the teeth affected. If your teen continues to use the smokeless tobacco, they would end up having to have the affected teeth pulled and replace them with dentures or dental implants. This may take time, but if your child uses smokeless tobacco now, they may continue to use it for many years.

Some manufacturers add sugar to their tobacco to make it taste better. This added sugar causes tooth decay. Some smokeless tobacco has grit and sand in it. This will wear down the enamel on their teeth over time.

Take your teen to the dentist now to have their teeth checked. The dentist an explain to your child what happens to their teeth in more detail to help them understand. The dentist may have pictures of people that have had a lot of their jaw removed because of oral cancer to help open your teen's eyes.

For more information, contact a dentist in your area today.